Collapsible garment-hanger



R. B. HEINLE.

COLLAPSIBLE GARMENT-HANGER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24, 1921.

Patented July 26, 1 921.

UNITED STATESFPIATEVNT OFFICE.

RUDOLPH B. HEINLE, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

GOLLAIPSIBLE GARMENT-HAN To allwhom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, RUDOLPH B, HEINLE', a citizen of .the United States America, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State. of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in C01- lapsible GarmentJ-Iangers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to garment-hangers of the collapsible type, made wholly or partly of bent wire, and its chief object is to provide a hanger of the utmost simplicity so that it can be manufactured and sold at low cost. Another important object is to provide a hanger which when collapsed will occupy but little space, so that small cartons may be used for shipment and sale, and permitting the hanger to be conveniently packed in a suitcase or traveling bag. 11'

further object is to provide a collapsible hanger which when extended or opened for use will be for all practical purposes as rigid as one of the non-collapsible type. To these and other ends the invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described.

One form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the hanger as extended or opened, ready for use.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the hanger collapsed, showing in dotted lines the suspending hook in erected and partly erected posi tion.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the collapsed hanger.

Fig. 4 is a cross section on line 44 of Fig. 2.

The hanger illustrated, which at the present time is considered to exhibit the invention in its most convenient and efifective form, comprises three pieces of wire: two U-shaped sliding or telescoping members 10, 11, and a hook member 12, by which the whole is suspended in use.

One of the U-shaped pieces, as 10, is bent at its inner end to form eyes 13, 14, through which the arms of the other U-shaped member, 11, are adapted to slide. The arm 15 of the latter member is bent to form an eye 16 and is carried across to the other arm 17 and is bent around the same and around the adjacent arm of member 10, forming an eye 18. Thus member 10 slides through eyes 16, 18, and member 11 slides through eyes 13, 14, in collapsing and expanding the hanger, as will be readily understood. The end of Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 26 1321, Application filed February 24, 1921 7 Serial No. 447,371. I

arm 17 is extended through eye 18 and bent inwardly and downwardly over the cross member 19, as clearly shown at 20, thus bracing both members and insuring against the distortion which might otherwise. result from pressure tendingto pinch the two parts together at the center.

Adjacent tothe eyes 16, 18, the arms 15, 17 of member 11 are bent to form recesses 21, 22, to receive the eyes 13, 14 when the hanger is expanded, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The ends of the arms of member 10 must flex to permit the eyes 13, 14 to slide. out of the recesses and consequently force must be used in collapsing the device. Hence when extended. the parts lock automatically against unintentional collapse in putting a garment .on the hanger or in other handling of the latter.

The cross bar 19 is bent upwardly at its center to form an eye or loop 23, to receive the loop or eye 24 bent in the hook member 12. Below the eye 24 thehook member is bent to form 2. lug .25, defining a recess 26. When the hook is swung up to vertical position, as in Fig. 1, the lug underlies the eye 23. Thelug has a slight upward inclination, and the parts are so proportioned that the space between the lug and the underside of the top of eye 24 is slightly less than the space between the upper surface of eye 23 and the notch at the bottom of the eye. Hence in erecting the hook, the parts must flex to allow the lug to snap into place. In that position the outer end of the lug extends slightly above the notch at the bottom of eye 23, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, with the result that to swing the hook down again requires the use of force. The hook is thus locked against unintentional displacement in handling the expanded hanger. At its lower end the hook member 12 is bent to form a hook 27 on which another garment may be hung.

To collapse the device the two members 10, 11 are telescoped together, applying sufficient force to spring the eyes 13, 14 out of the recesses 21, 22, and thus unlock the parts, and the hook is swung down and sidewise, fitting its front and back between the arms of the two members 10, 11, as in Fig. 3, where it is gripped with suiiicient firmness, due to the resiliency of the wires to hold it in place in the course of ordinary handling.

As will be seen in Figs. 2 and 3 the hanger is flat and compact when collapsed and hence trated and described but can be embodied in other forms without departure from its spirit.

I claim 1. As a new article of manufacture, a garment hanger comprising a U shaped wire member having the end portion of one of its arms bent to form a loop and extended transversely to the other arm of the member and there bent toform a loop, the arms of said member being bent to form recesses adjacent to the two loops, and the transversely extending portion being bent to form an eye between said arms; a wire hookpivot ed in the said eye and a U-shaped wire member having its arms extending through the loops in the other U-shaped memberto slide therein and having its ends bent to form eyes embracing the arms of the latter member the said recesses in the first mentioned U- sha'ped member being adapted to receive the eyes of the other U-shaped member to lock said members in expanded'positio'n.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a garment hanger comprising a pair of telescop ing U-shaped wire members provided with automatic locking means to hold the same in extended position 5 a cross member spanning the inner end of the U-shaped members; and a hook pivotally connected with said cross member to suspend the hanger, and having means for engaging the cross member to lock the hook in upright position.

3; As a new article of manufacture, a collapsible garment hanger comprising a pair of telescoping members: releasable means acting automatically to lock the members in extended position, a pivoted hook for suspending the hanger, and releasable means acting automatically to lock the hook in upright position}:

4:. As a new article of manufacture, a U- shaped wire member having the end portion of one of its arms bent to form a loop and extended transversely to the other arm and there bent to form a loop, said other arm being hooked into the second loop, the arms being bent to form recesses adjacent to the two'loop's', and the transversely extending portion being bent to forman eye between said arms a wire hook pivoted in the last-mentioned eye and having a lug adapted to engage the said transverse portion under the 'eye to lock the hook releasably in upright position; and a U-shaped wire member havitsarms extended through the eyes in theother U-shaped member to slide therein and having its endsbent to form eyes embracing the arms of the latter member.

In testimony whereof I hereto affix my signature. v

RUDOLPH B; HEINLE. 

